What is soap made of? Soap production

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Perhaps, in childhood, my mother asked one question more often than other: “Did you wash your hands with soap?” Everyone, without exception, knows that unwashed (or poorly washed) hands can cause both a small indigestion and serious diseases such as intestinal infections, cholera, hepatitis A, polio, etc.

For most of us, the need for hygiene is beyond doubt. Washing hands after a walk, before eating, after going to the toilet are the same mandatory rituals as, for example, saying hello to friends. But not everyone thinks about what the soap we use is made of.

What is soap?

We are used to the fact that soap is a fragrant bar that dissolves and foams under the influence of water. This foam washes away dirt and hands are clean. Elementary knowledge of chemistry allows us to give a more accurate explanation: the molecules that make up soap combine with non-polar molecules of substances that are on the hands (fat, dirt, etc.). The same soap molecules easily combine with polar water molecules. It turns out that the chemical composition of soap is a kind of intermediary between water and greasy contaminants. Soap combines with dirt molecules and "clings" to water. And water, in turn, washes these compounds from the skin of the hands.

Chemical terminology

From the point of view of chemistry, soap is an emulsifier for the fat-water system. The soap molecule is stretched into a snake, in which the tail is hydrophobic, and the head is hydrophilic. A hydrophobic, that is, a fat-soluble tail, plunging into pollution, is firmly connected to it. The head refers to water molecules. Such a system of droplets is called a micelle. The fat in these joints no longer feels "slippery" to us.

The effect of a greasy film on water instantly disappears when a small amount of soap (whether solid or liquid) is added to it. Micelles form instantly and bind fat molecules. Water, under the influence of what soap is made of, becomes softer and even “thinner”. These new properties allow it to penetrate deep into tissues and flush out all sorts of impurities.

The same effect of diluting water can be achieved by simple heating. For materials with a non-porous surface, hot water is sufficient to remove all greasy contaminants. You can safely wash the dishes without soap in hot water, but you will have to wash off the fat from your hands with soap already.

How much soap do you need

So, we already know that micelles - compounds of soap with water and fat - are fairly stable drops. And their size is small due to the effect of temperature. How to determine how much soap you need?The easiest way is to achieve foaming. After all, the presence of soap foam indicates an abundance of soap formations unbound by fatty molecules in micelles. Since all micelles are negatively charged, they repel each other and cannot combine. But it is enough to appear a small drop of fat, and some of the unbound molecules of the soap solution will merge with it into a more stable compound. And bound detergent molecules cannot foam.

Chemical composition of soap

In an attempt to figure out what soap is made of, you will have to remember a little more the school chemistry course. Soaps are various s alts (carboxylic, sodium or potassium).

S alt from the point of view of cooking is clear to us. And in chemistry? These are products of the interaction of alkali and acid. In nature, we often meet separately both the first and the second. But there is no soap in nature. And although the production of soap is a simple matter, it still requires certain knowledge and skills.

For saponification (obtaining a foaming substance with detergent properties), it is necessary that the fatty acids familiar to us react with alkali. The latter breaks down fatty acids into glycerol and fatty acids. The sodium (potassium) component of the alkali reacts with the acid to form the sodium (potassium) s alt of fatty acids, which we know as soap.

Natural or synthetic soap

When you take a bar of detergent from the store counter and carefully subtract from whatsoap is made, you will not always find natural coconut or olive oils in the composition. In industry, soap is made from oil refinery waste. It turns out a synthetic detergent that has nothing to do with natural soap. On the one hand, synthesized products surround us everywhere, and there is nothing wrong with that. On the other hand, I want to use a real, that is, a natural product. As already mentioned, such a product appears in the process of "saponification" or soap making. In practice, extracting glycerin from soap is very difficult, so natural soap is softer and has a better effect on the skin. Glycerin is an essential ingredient in soaps, as this natural humectant is able to absorb moisture from the air and transfer it to the skin. Thus, the skin does not dry out and remains quite elastic.

Variety of soap oils

Each natural oil has its own characteristics. To give soap certain properties, it is necessary to brew soap from one or another natural oil.

Coconut oil lathers well, for example. And olive contains a huge amount of minerals and acids useful for the skin. The more exotic canola oil (a variety of rapeseed) and the already familiar palm oil are excellent conductors of nutrients into the skin. Sunflower oil is most often not used for making soap bars. But for a cream soap, it is a great ingredient.

Synthetic components

Industrially brewed soap is very diverse. Color, smell, properties, etc. But it should be remembered that both smells andSoap colors are just chemicals created in a lab. Of course, manufacturers repeatedly test the effect of all components on the skin condition, but in exceptional cases, individual intolerance to individual elements is possible.

The same can be said about natural essential oils. Despite everything, an individual negative reaction to a specific component is possible. However, handmade soap has far less negative impact on the skin.

The second important nuance is the color of the soap. It can also be obtained synthetically or due to natural dyes. Natural paints are "cloudier" and "muted" but certainly harmless compared to their chemical counterparts.

Laundry soap

Soap makers distinguish between cosmetic and laundry soap. According to its name, laundry soap is designed to wash and wash household items, not skin. However, cosmetologists recommend not to abandon the use of laundry soap to restore hair and skin.

The composition of laundry soap (GOST distinguishes 3 types) is characterized by a high content of fatty acids and alkali. Actually, according to the content of acids, natural vegetable and animal oils and alkalis, soap can be of the following categories: at least 70.5%, at least 69% and at least 64%. This type of soap does not cause allergies at all, which allows you to use it even for children's things.

Laundry soap is regarded as a natural antiseptic. It is for this purpose that it is used in cleaninghospitals. Dentists recommend lathering your toothbrush after each use to prevent it from becoming a breeding ground for bacteria.